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National TBT/SPS committee

Uganda is one of the founder Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and a signatory to the multilateral agreements which includes the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) and the Agreement on the Application of Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS).

Uganda is also a signatory to a number of Regional Economic Communities (RECs) including the East African Community (EAC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), EAC, COMESA and SADC Tripartite agreement and the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) and has negotiated several Bilateral Agreements including EAC-US Cooperation Agreement on Trade Facilitation, SPS and TBT; and Economic Partnership Agreements. All the RECs contain protocols on SPS and TBT.

In Uganda, the responsibilities for SPS and TBT are distributed across several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). To ensure effective implementation of the various agreements, protocols and commitments, a coordination mechanism is essential.

The National TBT/SPS Committee was established in 2004 to provide a coordination mechanism on SPS and TBT matters at national level. The committee consists of the Chair, Vice Chair (Private Sector), Vice Chair (Public Sector), Secretary, Assistant Secretary and representatives from public and private sector institutions.

This committee provides a dedicated forum for coordination among MDAs and consulting the private sector and other parties that are affected by the implementation of Bilateral, Regional, Plurilateral and WTO SPS and TBT Agreements.